Best Of South Florida 2010: Entertainment

BEST SONGWRITERFernando Perdomo of Dreaming in StereoMyspace.com/dreaminginstereoDreaming in Stereo frontman Fernando Perdomo addresses sharp, painful and sometimes ugly truths about relationships, addiction and the music business in laid-back, poppy songs that warrant repeated listening. Perdomo, who was 17 when he began sneaking into bars to perform in local bands, says he wrote most of Dreaming in Stereo’s 2009 self-titled debut album out of sheer frustration. “Steal This Song,” for example, was prompted by his anger over a song that was leaked before an album was released, and “I’m Not Gonna Move to L.A.” concerns the downside of being a musician in Miami. Perdomo exorcises these frustrations — particularly those about the music business — not only in these songs but by working on his own label, Forward Motion Records, which has released music by Yves Giraud, Jill Hartmann, Omine, Kingsley and Perdomo, Jorge Moreno, Andy Pratt and, of course, Dreaming in Stereo.

BEST ROCK CLUBPropaganda6 S. J St., Lake Worth, 561-547-7273, Propagandalw.comDuring 2009 and much of 2010, local promoter Steve Rullman built this hipster dive from the ashes of the more-capacious City Limits in Delray Beach, booking many of the same top local acts from his previous client while peppering in a surprising surfeit of national bands, such as Cracker, Vivian Girls and Dashboard Confessional. The bar’s acoustics are top-of-the-line and the drinks are affordable, so this compact venue typically swells with patrons during its biggest performances. The Vampire Weekends and LCD Soundsystems of the world may play the Fillmore, but thanks to Rullman’s stewardship, Propaganda played host to a number of obscure indie acts outside the college radio establishment — bands we probably wouldn’t have seen here otherwise. Rullman recently left the venue after some long-simmering disputes with management, but expect the baby he raised to continue to grow, helping Lake Worth become one of the top music destinations in the tri-county area.

BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUEThe Fillmore Miami Beach1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-938-2505, Fillmoremb.comThe title of this category very well could have been Best Live Music Venue To Fall Victim to a Bulldozer, and if the Miami Beach City Commission proceeds with a plan to raze the historic venue in order to erect yet another hotel in its place, we may be mourning the Fillmore in this space next year rather than praising it. We scoffed at Live Nation when the concert giant took over the former Jackie Gleason Theater and rechristened it with a name most-associated with Bill Graham’s historic rock venues in San Francisco and New York. The building is iconic, to be sure, but its history is all its own, due in large part to the larger-than-life actor who filmed his variety show there in the 1960s. But this year, the Fillmore began creating a new rock ’n’ roll legacy, presenting top-shelf acts such as Wilco, Arctic Monkeys, the Swell Season, LCD Soundsystem and the Black Keys. We’d like to think this move was partly inspired by our naming the Fillmore “Best Concert Hall in Need of a New Booker” in last year’s Best Of issue, but whatever the reason, the Fillmore in 2010 more than justified its existence. Let’s hope the Miami Beach City Commission has been listening — and rocking.

BEST DANCE CLUBMansion1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-695-8411, Mansionmiami.comA long line of people often can be seen outside Mansion, but it’s not because of the $20 cover charge and pricey cocktails. You can find that at just about any nightclub in Miami Beach. No, it’s because people actually come here to dance. The number of celebrities who party at the club doesn’t keep people away, either. Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross and LeBron James have visited Mansion this year, as have pseudo-stars such as Mike “the Situation” Sorrentino, who in January held his Absolutely Best Hard Body contest at the club. Tourists flock to the venue on weekends, locals party here on weekdays and a decent, globetrotting DJ such as Oscar G, Pete Tong or Harry “Choo Choo” Romero is always in the booth.

BEST HAPPY HOURDuffy’s Sports Grill16 locations throughout Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, Duffysmvp.comPremium happy hours at Duffy’s are simple and rewarding. From 4 to 7 p.m. and 9 to close nightly, everything save shots, pitchers and buckets of beer are two for the price of one. Drinks are served in two glasses or in a single enormous mug. We recommend the latter, particularly because it’s funny to watch your friends drink from them. Besides, much beer is needed to wash down those very spicy chicken tostado nachos (Duffy’s is not stingy with the jalapeño peppers). For further savings, ask for the MVP card, which entitles patrons to a point for every dollar spent. A $10 credit is issued for every 100 points earned.

BEST TEQUILA BARRocco’s Tacos5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, 561-416-2131, Roccostacos.comBefore drinking tequila, you should always build a proper food foundation in your stomach. Rocco’s Tacos makes this easy, offering seviche, tamales, enchiladas and guacamole prepared at the table and a tequila menu with more than 100 choices. Silver, gold, reposado, añejo and premium tequilas are available from familiar brands such as Cabo Wabo, Patrón and Don Julio as well as harder-to-find tequilas from Partida, Herradura and Los Azuelos Picasso. With an additional location on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach and another Rocco’s Tacos scheduled to open this fall in Fort Lauderdale, the venue provides plenty of excuses to round up your amigos for some south-of-the-border fun.

BEST MOJITOThe Setai2001 Collins Ave., Miami, 305-520-6000, Setai.comArmed with mortars and pestles, the bartenders at the Setai act as apothecaries for their patrons. They make their mojitos from scratch with freshly crushed mint, sugar and rum and serve them in cool, tall glasses as sleek and intoxicating as the Setai’s model-perfect crowd. The bar menu at this posh Miami Beach hotel eschews clichéd South Beach offerings in favor of original drinks such as the Thai Curry cocktail — a blend of Thai-basil and chile-infused vodka, peanut liquor and citrus-curry spice — and classic concoctions such as the sidecar, a mix of Hennessy and Cointreau.

BEST BEER BARZeke’s Roadhouse625 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, 305-672-3118This small but comfortable establishment with an Old Florida feel offers hundreds of beers from around the world for only $4 each. Beers on tap include Moretti, Magic Hat, Ace Joker Cider and Bitburger. More-unusual offerings include a 22-ounce Russian beer and an Ethiopian beer that’s simply called Special Beer. If you have no idea what to order, just tell the bartender what beer you typically drink and he’ll recommend something like it. We revealed our love for Guinness and the bartender suggested the delicious Lion Stout. Zeke’s also serves hot dogs and chips, and the outside tables are ideal for watching fashionistas and fashion nightmares parade down Lincoln Road. Be sure to bring your ID: Even the elderly get carded here.

BEST BREWPUBThe Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery2621 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 561-368-4643, Thefunkybuddha.comWe had to get the Funky Buddha into this issue. It is, after all, one of the most awesome locations in South Florida. But with this brewpub category and the Funky Buddha having added “and Brewery” to its name just a few months ago, we knew what we had to do. The Buddha has gone through several changes this year. Even bigger than the fact that the place is now brewing its own beers is what made that possible — the pub and hookah bar moved a few doors down to a much larger space with a sizable stage. That not only gave it the room to brew beer but also turned it into the best small concert venue south of Lake Worth and north of Fort Lauderdale. With 110 beers available, a huge portion of them hard-to-find craft beers, and the Buddha’s own creations added to the mix, this is now the spot for beer lovers, music lovers, hookah lovers and, with its cozy seating along one wall, lovers in general.

BEST TIKI BARBahia Cabana3001 Harbor Drive, Fort Lauderdale, 954-524-1555, Bahiacabanaresort.comThis tiki bar, with its laid-back Key West style, will make you feel as if you’re on vacation. Relax with some mojitos, rumrunners and piña coladas (an extra rum floater costs $2), nightly live music and a menu that includes crab-cake dinners, blackened dolphin, a catch of the day and hearty sandwiches such as the Philly cheese steak, tuna melt and the French dip. This waterfront venue is known for its baby-back ribs in a tender barbecue sauce, and a bit of literary history. Bahia Cabana overlooks the Bahia Mar Yacht Basin and the infamous slip F-18, where Travis McGee, the fictional detective and beach bum in late writer John D. MacDonald’s popular series of novels, parked his houseboat, the Busted Flush. The spot has been named the first Florida Literary Landmark by Friends of Libraries USA.

BEST IRISH PUBThe Field Irish Pub and Eatery3281 Griffin Road, Dania Beach, 954-964-5979, Thefieldfl.comGiven all the shamrocks and great Irish pub names, it would seem that South Florida is crawling with Irish pubs. But cut out those venues that don’t feature live Irish music and the list shrinks quicker than you could down a shot of Irish whiskey. The Field’s live music is as good as its food, which includes hearty grub such as a traditional Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage, and a creamy Irish potato soup. The pub’s house band, Celtic Bridge, features Belfast-born siblings Eamonn Dillon (on uilleann pipes and whistles) and Roisin Dillon (on fiddle), and generally plays from Thursday through Saturday, performing traditional Irish jigs and reels, Van Morrison songs and even bluegrass. It’s not unusual for musical guests to join the band or for tables to be pushed aside for Guinness-inspired jigging. On Tuesdays, 2ofUs performs a tribute to the Beatles and Wednesdays are all about Rod Stewart during the Hot Rod Show.

BEST BRITISH PUBThe Fox and Hound Pub4812 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park, 954-491-8869Music is the metric we use to determine the best Irish pub. If an Irish pub doesn’t offer traditional Irish music, it’s not the best. Similarly, when it comes to British pubs, we demand football. Of course, that doesn’t mean helmets, pads and oblong balls. We’re talking football here, not the American version thereof, which actually has very little to do with feet and would probably be better called tackleball, hurtball, the Great Broken-Bone-a-Thon or something. And when we want to watch what the rest of the world calls football, the Fox and Hound is as good a spot as any in South Florida to do so. The pub features a large screen for important games and a room full of British expats with powerful opinions on football who, after a few pints, have no qualms about expressing them. Cheers!

BEST NEW CLUBGrand Central697 N. Miami Ave., Miami, 305-377-2277, Grandcentralmiami.comSince opening just in time for this year’s Winter Music Conference, Grand Central has hosted the longest-running club party in Miami (Poplife), up-and-coming local bands (Surfer Blood, Afrobeta, ¡Mayday!) and national acts (Felix da Housecat, Kid Sister, Deer Tick), and some of the best artists from around the world (Aterciopelados). In the past month alone, Big Boi and School of Seven Bells have graced the stage at the converted train station. Grand Central has given Miami’s live-music scene the midsize venue it has so desperately needed since the sudden closing of Studio A. Hell, it’s pretty much made us forget all about that place.

BEST NIGHTCLUB PARTYWe Rock Hip-Hop FridaysMansion, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-695-8411, Mansionmiami.comThis salute to classic and contemporary hip-hop has been going strong for six years. DJs Konflikt and Ideal regularly spin at this rapper’s delight, which also has presented DJ Irie and the late DJ AM on the decks and recently featured a performance by Snoop Dogg. This is one of the few parties left in Miami where the DJs don’t clobber the audience with house and pop mixes.

BEST GAY BARScandals Saloon3073 N.E. Sixth Ave., Wilton Manors, 954-567-2432, Scandalsfla.comScandals serves its own brand of triple-distilled vodka and offers plenty of down-home fun for the gay community. With karaoke, country tunes by the Outlawz DJz and line-dancing lessons, Scandals is an ideal place to round up some urban cowboys. The lineup of beefy bartenders isn’t bad, either. Scandal’s Web site provides entertaining biographies of its barkeeps. Rodd, a.k.a. Gunpowder, is described as an un-lassoed cowboy from the back hills of West Virginia who likes armpits and Jack Daniel’s and dislikes cowboys who won’t let him ride their horses.

BEST DRAG BARLips1421 E. Oakland Park Blvd., 105, Oakland Park, 954-567-0987, Floridalips.comA party at Lips actually begins when you visit the club’s Web site to decide which night of fabulousness you want to attend. On Tuesdays, the Lady LaRouge hosts the Dragalicious party. On Wednesdays, Miss Misty Eyez oversees Bitchy Bingo. Cher, Madonna and Bette Midler impersonators take over Thursdays during Dinner With the Divas. On Friday and Saturday nights, Diva heads up the Glamour Girls party. And the Sunday Gospel Brunch is a must-do, especially after a bender. Sip or chug unlimited mimosas, champagne and Bloody Marys. Later that day, drag versions of Diana Ross and Cher appear during Retro Superstar Sundays. The frozen cosmopolitans and dessert fashion show are highlights of any evening at Lips, and the drink menu — featuring RuPaul’s Rum Punch, Mrs. Doubtfire’s Mojito and the TransAmerican Ice Tea — is simply a fun read.

BEST STRIP BARTootsies150 N.W. 183rd St., Miami Gardens, 305-651-5822, Tootsiescabaret.comOpen every day, Tootsies offers more than 250 dancers, three bars, a VIP area with private skyboxes and the opportunity to receive a lap-dance in the Tootsies Transit Car, which is a replica of a New York subway car. The club also specializes in bachelor parties, birthdays and divorce celebrations. Bachelor party packages include a Hangover-style scrapbook you won’t want to show your bride-to-be.

BEST PLACE TO GAMBLESeminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, 954-327-7625, Seminolehardrockhollywood.comWhether you’re planning to take a gamble on love or money, the Seminole Hard Rock offers endless options. Hundreds of slot machines line the 145,000-square-foot gaming floor and the casino offers table games such as Texas Hold ’Em, blackjack and baccarat. Gamblers can spend their winnings or contemplate their losses at the adjacent Seminole Paradise, a bar, nightclub, restaurant and retail complex featuring Murphy’s Law, the Improv, Gryphon, Tequila Ranch and Quicksilver, among many others.

BEST COFFEE SHOPUndergrounds Coffeehaus2743 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-630-1900,Myspace.com/undergroundscoffeehausNot only does owner Aileen Liptak brew a mean cup of coffee (especially peanut butter latte), but with snacks such as Tater Tots, Pop-Tarts and Little Debbies, this spot has all the comforts of home and plenty of local art, to boot. Liptak is like a den mother to local artists, many of whom got their start showing their work at Undergrounds. Coma Girl, Kazilla and Janda Japanda Farley have all shown their work here. When times got rough for the shop this year, local artists organized the fundraiser Save the Last Sip and donated art to be auctioned off to keep the coffee flowing. They don’t want to see this place go down. After all, what other coffeehouse will hold proms, zombie pajama parties, Scrabble Sundays and stitch-and-bitch sessions?

BEST OPEN MIKE AND SINGER-SONGWRITER SHOWCASEChrystal Hartigan PresentsChrystalhartiganpresents.comTaking place the second Monday of every month in the Abdo New River Room at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Chrystal Hartigan Presents attracts people who want to listen to local music outside the confines of a loud, smoky bar or nightclub. Amateur and established songwriters equally shine here. “A friend who came to see me at Broward Center was like, ‘Wow, I could hear you, and it’s not drowned out bythe drums or beer bottles clanking together,’ ” Joel Da Silva of the Hep Cat Boo Daddies recalls. “Chrystal really knows what she’s doing and respects the artists.” Hartigan is now sponsoring another singer-songwriter night, this one with Bob Mitchell, at the 11th Street Annex Café, 14 S.W. 11th St., in Fort Lauderdale. Held every Saturday, the showcase begins with Hours of Acoustic Power from 7 to 9 p.m. and continues with an open mike.

BEST ANNUAL MUSIC EVENTWinter Music ConferenceWmcon.comLast year, the Winter Music Conference reached the quarter-century mark. Hard to believe that the conference for all things electronic is about as old as the genre itself, but WMC shows no sign of slowing down. If anything, with Ultra Music Festival pushed to the beginning of WMC a couple of years ago, the conference is now more vital than ever. This year’s Ultra event finally paired the correct live acts with all the DJs, after weirdly disjointed performances by the Killers and Hot Hot Heat in previous years. This year’s live bands, including Lotus and the Disco Biscuits, were selected from the jam-band world that, in recent years, has bled ever more steadily into EDM space. Even if you don’t participate in any of the industry sessions or late-night parties, WMC makes for better people-watching along Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive than any other time of year. Just ditch work for a day, commandeer a barstool at News Café or one of the other in-the-thick-of-it, open-air places in Miami Beach and watch the entire electronic world go by. Don’t bother showing up before late afternoon; this crowd is just getting up for its morning cocktail about then.

BEST ROCK BANDSurfer BloodMyspace.com/surferbloodWhat more can be said about this young band of indie upstarts that hasn’t already been hyperbolized on the blogosphere? Riding a wave of buzz on the strength of the 2009 single “Swim,” the West Palm Beach-based group released its debut album, Astro Coast, earlier this year to almost unanimous acclaim. Whether the band is overhyped or not, it’s objectively awesome whenever a homegrown act reaches the mainstream consciousness, and in this case, we happen to think the praise is warranted. Eschewing the lo-fi bedroom intimacy of so many indie acts, Surfer Blood’s sound is positively epic, with fist-pumping anthems fit for arenas (it’s only a matter of time before it’ll be asked to open said arenas for a band such as Arcade Fire). Polished without being overproduced, the album is difficult to pin down musically — every track sounds as if it could have been from a different band, creating the vibe of an endless summer mix tape.

BEST PUNK BANDFleesMyspace.com/fleespunkThe punk-rock act fronted by full-throated wailer Elyse Perez, who boasts bigger balls than any male punk singer we could name, came into its own this year with the release of its debut album,Drink Me. It’s not as if there’s anything wrong with the rest of the band — they all produce fine performances both on recordings and onstage, and include veteran local musicians such as drummer Fausto Figueredo, formerly of the landmark local act Load and currently also performing with Tongues of the Heartworm. But even with such heavyweight talent, Flees is without a doubt Perez’s group. Her caterwauling and crashing around the stage needs to be seen to be properly appreciated, preferably among a thick, sweaty, violent and staggeringly inebriated crowd.

BEST JAM BANDThe Heavy PetsTheheavypets.comThe Heavy Pets aren’t merely the best local jam band, but one of the best jam bands in the country and, as such, perhaps the best live band in South Florida, jam-heavy or not. The arrival this year of The Heavy Pets — the group’s long-awaited follow-up to 2007’s debut double-disc,Whale — showcased a band at the top of its game. The Pets have gone from a local band to one that we South Floridians must accept seeing only a few months out of the year, as the previous two years have seen the group touring up and down the East Coast and throughout Colorado and nearby states, stopping only for Heavy Pets recording sessions on the West Coast. Still, we’ll take the band anyway we can get it.

BEST ELECTRONIC ACTPanic BomberPanicbomber.comManning the decks under the Panic Bomber moniker for less than two years, Richard Haig has already become the best electronic act going in a town known almost entirely for the bleeps and bloops put out by the DJs of its gratingly elitist nightclubs. That’s something we love about Panic Bomber — you’re more likely to see him at hassle-free clubs such as the Vagabond or Grand Central than you are at the line-around-the-block, douchebag-at-the-ropes places dotting South Beach like herpes sores on a hooker’s lips. Also, Panic Bomber wears about the best costume in the DJ world since Deadmau5 killed Mickey Mouse and wore his skin like a rodent-loving Buffalo Bill. Of course, there’s his infectious music. If you don’t shake your ass to Panic Bomber’s beats, you probably need an ass transplant.

BEST HIP-HOP ACTBlack DadaIamblackdada.comThe streets of Miami boast some stiff competition for rappers, with Pitbull, Flo Rida and Rick Ross all hailing from the area. But Black Dada refuses to be intimidated. The R&B-singing rapper who cut “Imma Zoe” and did a remix with Rick Ross and Birdman has appeared on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and has been getting radio play in New York and Miami and airtime on BET. His “Naughty Girl” and “Round Round Round” are club-ready dance songs with lyrics about one-night stands and ample-bottomed women.

BEST SUPERGROUPDick KnuckleLike Reese’s Pieces did with chocolate and peanut butter, so Dick Knuckle proved that Timb, Zombies! Organize!! and the Freakin Hott are great things that go great together. But really, it’s odd that this didn’t happen sooner. The three acts have played innumerable gigs together, hail from the same incestuous south Palm Beach County scene, and have known each other for years. They even had a poker game going at the Casa de Freakin Hott, to which a City Link writer was invited and, upon drinking all the beer in the house and taking everyone’s money, was promptly never invited back. In fact, said writer recalls that as he staggered out the door that night, he rumbled something like, “You guys should all form a band! That’d be, uh, you know … yeah …” And so, City Link would like to claim responsibility for the awesomeness that is Dick Knuckle, and a 10 percent finder’s fee of any profits, privileges, free dope or groupies that ensue. You’re welcome!

BEST DJRobbie RiveraRobbierivera.comRobbie Rivera can form a crowd on a dance floor and keep it there for hours. During Winter Music Conference, thousands of people attend his Juicy Beach Party at Nikki Beach, and this year was no exception. The all-day soirée featured a mix of music-industry people and Miami scenesters so large that the line to get in stretched along the street and prompted a visit from the fire marshal. Born in Puerto Rico, Rivera now splits his time between Miami and Ibiza, where he spins house, progressive and techno tunes for people he calls “sexy and sweaty.”

BEST ALBUMLady Madly Vinyl by Sam FriendSamfriend.comSinger-songwriter Sam Friend didn’t just write the music for Lady Madly Vinyl. He also created the album’s packaging, designing the artwork, spray-painting labels for the cover and using a vintage typewriter to write the liner notes. The $10 vinyl album comes with a digital download card and each of its five songs features Friend’s breezy but thoughtful folk-rock. His pure, emotional falsetto shines through on “Cinderella’s Slippin’ ” and “Toetotoe,” a tune about making the best of a bad situation. The album’s best song, “Magic in a Package!” offers a feel-good groove accented with violin and accordion.